The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-09-24
PACIFIC RAILROADS INVESTIGATION.
Generals Fremont and Ewing on the Stand,
the Latter at His Own Request.

| NEW YORK, Sept. 23-Pathfnder Gen. John
| G. Fremont was a prominent figure at to-days
| meeting of the Pacific railroad commission. He
| had been subpenae to his New Jersey home
by Sergeant-ar-arms Walsh. and had come to
testify with reference some of General Stones
| statements to the commission when it was in
/ Omaha.
The examination of General Dodge was re-
snmed as to the cost of construction of the
| Union Pacific railroad. The witness said the
road would not have cost one-third of what it
did had not the government desired the work
rushed. General Grant teleeraphed TO the COM
| pany that the government would do anything to
! facilitate the expedition of the work. The Cen
eral thought the road could have paid its debt
/ to the government had not Congress kept inter-
fering with the business.
Judge John NJ Thurston next called to
the stand He was appointed assistant solicitor
to the Union Pacific tor Nebraska in 1875 Be-
fore his regular appointment he had done serv-
ice for the company in assisting TO have recon
/, sidered by the Nebraska Legislature a bill that
| was injurious to the companys interest The
| witness stated that the people of Nebraska do
not like railroads, and members of the Legislat-
ure vie with each other in offering bills that
detrimental to railroads. Witnesses duty was to
He had ass istants to procure copies of every
anti railway bill as it was introduced. Then he
set about to prevent the passage of the bill.
Governor Pattison presented voucher to the
witness. which represented some $4,000 for
tain services. which the judge thus explained:
He had to drum up two counties to prevent
opposition railway Ginning in. and to do this he
had to hire every speech maker in the county to
stump the district behalf of the Union Pa
cifc. They stumped and WOE, and the company
paid the bill, as indicated in the voucher. There
was no attempt to buy voters that or any
similar occasion.
Il want to ask" intelposed Commissioner
Littlers show far vsu think Sc. Goethe sum
represented one of these vouchers-would go
il buying votes of the people in the coun
towns along the roada"
Nebraska, along the line of the road" was
the answer. was settled by men who had car
red muskets in what is now called ''the late
pleasantness' and I do not believe that kind of
men could be bought at any price"
Gen. John c. Fremont then took the stand.
He said he had, with Gen. Ewing and others.
paid 8203, 900 for the Leavenworth Pawnee &
Western railroad in 1863 1t had then titles
certain Indian lands and some preliminary sur
veys. There was scarcely any construction
then. In 1864 the General became estranged
from of his colleagues and retired, receiving
about what he had paid. He never had any
hand in buying votes and knew nothing of any
such improper use of money. You not
in the business Of buying votes at that time2"
put in of the commissioners. mo; about
the time of these alleged transactions was pretty
actively engaged in the field" replied the Cen
eral with smile. He then retired. and. at his
own request, Gen. Thomas Ewing took the
stand and made this statement: 81 have asked
this opportunity 30 make a statement respecting
my connection with the Leavenworth, Pawnee
& Western Railroad Company, which in 1862
became branch of the Pacific railway and
especially to tell what / know about certain
contracts. alleged to have been made by that
~oy ryy1jtta IN aid of ha of ha TrSt
Pacific-railroad law-that of 1862 was
nected with it as director about one year. from
June 1861 till 1862, but never had active part
in its management The real managers of the
company were its president, j. Fl. Mcdowell;
its vice president. j. Isaacs, and its treasurer.
Gen. j. G. Stone. They had absolute control of
the affairs of the. company for more
than year before became
a member Of the board. and for still longer
time after left it to enter the army. They
went to Washington at the opening of the Con-
gress of 1861-62 to aid in passing the proposed
late in the session. in fact. until the bill had
passed the House and was we'll on its way in
the Senate. I remained but few weeks, and
left before it passed the Senate I never again
met with the board or the executive committee
for the reason that Immediately
on returning to Congress l was
the Eleventh Kansas In fantry Volunteers, and
/ thereupon dropped the business of the railroad
company and never after had anything to do
with it. While in Washington, that
occasion, I recoect to have joined one
of the gentlemen named in executing
four or five contracts with persons whose names
set down in the lists in regard to which Gem
eral Stone was recently examined by this COM
mission. The company had at that time char
ter some surveys from Leavenworth west and
right of purchase of certain lands of the Della
wares. 1t had nothing else save the hope of
beng made part of the Pacific railroad, which
the Kansas people greatly needed and desired to
have built There was no possibility of building
it except with government aid. The people of
the country were ignorant of and inattentve to
the pressing national need Of the Pacific railway,
and the Feasibility of its construction. imme-
date war exigencies absorbing all interest.
To pass the bill. 1t was indispensable that
the subject should be thoroughly and ably pre-
scented Congress and the country by the press
and personal discussion with committees and
members of Congress. The company had no
means whatever to obtain such service except
by contracts for stock and lands, the value of
which were wholly dependent upon the passage |
of the bill / not at all willing to admit that
such employ ment of men was improper. Like |
contracts recognized by the courts as legiti-
mate and every man knows that no measure of
mixed public and private interest was ever en- |
acted in Congress any State Legislature with |
out employ ment of men to present and discuss 1t
before committees and in the press. | never
heard of these lists until 1872. General Stone is
reported TO have testified that they were pre- |
pared in the fall of 1868. year and half after
I had ceased to have participated IN the affairs
of the company. / never heard OF one fifth of
the contracts named in these lists. More than
half the names in them of persons never
knew or met. Whatever contracts may have
been made by any of the gentlemen named
while the Pacific railroad bill was pending in
Congress before / went to Washington and after
/ left there 1 know nothing about them. There
was no occasion for them to be made known to
me and they were not. The contracts named in
those lists as published. of which was cogniz-
ant, TO the best of my recollection, those
with nj. c. Bratnev, Lathrop, Latham,
johnson and King. 1 may have known
of one or others, but without the list before
me I cannot now recall any. I never knew of
any contract arrangement with Mr.. Dole
The contracts, go far as l knew, were made in
consideration of legitimate service of the charac-
ter have indicated. I never knew, had
reason to believe, that any person with whom
any contracts were made had. proposed to
have, any corrupt improper understanding
arrangement with any member of Congress re-
specting the bill" The hearing adjourned
fn-rp